First Encounter
by torete
Summary: [AU] [DeiSaku] And for all the rain that bathed her face, she felt a hot flush spreading on her cheeks. She was waiting for him to speak. He was waiting for her to stop blushing.


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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On a Saturday afternoon as Sakura walked home, she half wished that her mind would not be like the gray sky overhead, so full of clouds, so heavy with the threat of rain. There were a dozen things she had to do at home, her school work and her chores had been piling up, and she was sure that the boy following her, although he represented no real danger, was becoming more and more of a nuisance with every step that she took.

Deidara was her classmate in art and in history, and until this minute, he seemed to be a personable guy and well…a bit eccentric when it comes to art. She remembered him saying something about art being a bang or something.

But what was the idea of tailing her, for indeed that was what he had been doing for the past several minutes? She had begun to notice him when stopping by the book store to buy some supplies for her art project, she saw him browsing by the comics and magazine section. Then, when she went out of the store and waited for the signal light at the pedestrian lane to turn green, she caught sight again of his black shirt out of the corner of her eye.

"Crazy stupid young fool," Sakura muttered under her breath, annoyed that she should be bothered by the thought of Deidara several paces behind her. As she walked, her brown canvas bag slung on her shoulders as if she was going to war with it, she tried hard to concentrate on forming a mental picture of what she had to once she got home so she would have everything out of the way before she starts studying for the test on Monday, plus she also needed to finish her art project also due on Monday. Some professors were sadists; they deliberately saddled you with tons of difficult assignments when they knew there would a huge test on your other subjects.

At any rate, she was growing increasingly agitated. Twice Sakura thought of stopping in her tracks and confronting him with the most sarcastic questions, but twice her better judgment stopped her. What if this guy was a nut? What if he was the violent sort and carried a knife or something? Worst of all, what if he answered her back, invective for invective, sarcasm for sarcasm? She would not survive the scandal and the shame on the street! And even if the situation should lead to the police precinct, granting that she had the gumption to report to the police, what proof did she have that he was really, actually following her?

The only thing she could do now was walk fast and get home right away. No one would find it strange that she would be walking as if she was running because of the weather – the clouds could drop on everyone's head any minute now – and least of all, Deidara would not be able to flatter himself by thinking that she was afraid of him.

For sure, she was not afraid of him; _he irritated her_, that was all, and she hated people who incited that kind of negative feeling in her. If her father knew about this incident, he would make it a point to complain to the dean, maybe even talk with the boy. That was how they did things in the army, so this guy had better brace himself; he didn't know what he was getting into, or who he was dealing with.

Two more corners to turn and she would be there. The green house with the gate painted white. It was always how she had described to people looking for it for the first time, and now as she passed the Yamanaka Flower Shop she wondered if she should go in and see if Deidara would stop tailing her. On the other hand, if she tarried in the shop she might not have time to do everything she needed to do. Besides, home would be the safest place.

She decided to go straight home, never mind Deidara finding out where she lived. One more block to go and she could stop worrying about him.

The rain was starting. She felt one big drop on her head, then two more stained her bag. In a few seconds, it was really pouring. She had barely time to cross the street when Deidara caught up with her.

Still, he did not say anything. He just kept pace with her. They were both running now, both were soaking wet.

When they reached the white gate, Sakura, exasperated as much as exhausted, turned to face him as she pressed a finger to the doorbell.

"Will you tell me why you have been following me? What do you want?" She wished the fool could see the annoyance in her eyes, read it in her voice.

"I'm sorry that you're mad. But I …"

He could not go on, but she felt his eyes piercing her soul the way the rain was piercing her white cotton blouse. He was a good head taller than her, and from up close, she noticed the beautiful shade of blue of his eyes, reminding her of a clear cloudless sky. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her momentarily, and for all the rain that bathed her face, she felt a hot flush spreading on her cheeks. She was 16 and never been stared at before, not like this, _not from so close like this_!

"You know, Deidara-san, my father is an army captain and he loves me very much and he doesn't like people doing things like following me home sneakily." Her voice was a trifle unsteady, but then, she assured herself, she had been running.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't mean any harm. I—"

The gate suddenly swung open, "You're wet as a duckling!" Exclaimed Sakura's mother and she pulled her daughter in. "Your friend, too. Come in or you'll catch pneumonia."

Before Sakura could protest, he was already following her and her mother up the stone steps and onto the porch.

"Sit down," Mrs. Haruno ordered him, and disappeared into the interior of the house with Sakura. Moments later she came back and handed him a towel and a freshly pressed shirt. "Here, change your shirt. Dry yourself." Deidara did as he was told. Smiling his gratitude at the kindly older woman.

Ten minutes later Sakura deigned to join him at the porch. Deidara shot up from his seat, more out of eager anticipation than familiarity with etiquette, and because she remained standing, he felt a giddy sense of being in her power as she waited for him to speak.

She was wearing a blue dress and her slippers seemed to be made of Chinese silk in a bright shade of pinkish-red that matched her unusual hair color. Quickly he lifted his eyes to her face once again, and once again she received his straight-ahead gaze with a burning blush. The streak of sweet, exquisite pain the moment when his eyes met hers quivered in her heart like an arrow that has just found its mark.

She was waiting for him to speak. He was waiting for her to stop blushing.

"I'm sorry I have put you to this trouble," he began.

The rain had thinned out to a drizzle, but it was getting dark now.

"Be thankful my father is not home," she said.

For the first time since she noticed that she was being followed, she was glad that her earlier impression of him as a personable fellow was, so far, still correct. She was glad that she had held her tongue when she felt like confronting him on the street.

"Please thank your mother for me. I'll bring this shirt to class on Monday."

"Don't worry about it my father won't miss it anyway."

"No, he won't," it was Sakura's mother walking up to them, "Too many shirts and uniform lying around here. Too many to wash in fact."

Sakura laughed, and when she did, Deidara could not help being engulfed in the happy tide of her girlish giggle. It was at the moment the most comforting sound in the world.

After he left, Sakura started doing the laundry. Her mother brought in the laundry basket and was smiling enigmatically at her. "That friend of yours seems nice," her mother said.

"I guess," Sakura said shrugging as she put in some detergent in the washing machine.

"Sakura…is he your boyfriend?"

"No! He just happens to follow me home." She said peevishly.

Her mother's smile widened, "Oh, I see."

Sakura blushed madly; she had not meant to say that to her mother – that Deidara had followed her home.

Her mother laughed and said, "You know, your father used to do that too, follow me around everywhere like a lost puppy, he even followed me home once."

Sakura stared incredulously at her mother as she went out of the room.

Like mother like daughter I suppose…

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**Note: Please review…**

Um…I'm not really sure if I should continue this but if you have any suggestions for this story…just send me a message, although I'm not promising that I would be able to update as soon as possible.

_**If **_I ever decide to update that is… Please don't kill me!!!


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